Modular furniture system and means for manipulating and connecting components thereof

ABSTRACT

A pre-fabricated system comprising a plurality of modular cabinet components or sub-assemblies arrangeable in various selectable combinations to furnish a living area, such as a kitchen, is provided with means for rapidly installing the modular components in side-to-side relationship and fastening them together to form a self-supporting integrated structure.

United States Patent [191 Sasnett eta].

MODULAR FURNITURE SYSTEM AND MEANS FOR MANIPULATING AND CONNECTINGCOMPONENTS THEREOF Inventors: Russell M. Sasnett,Louisville, Ky.; JamesE. Stiner, New Albany, 1nd.

Assignee: General Electric Company,

Louisville, Ky.

Filed: July 1, 1971 Appl. No.: 158,849

US. Cl .,3l2/l98,312/111, 312/140 Int. Cl..... A47b 53/00, F16b 12/00,A47f 3/00 Field 01 Search 312/195, 198, 209;

References Cited I UNlTED STATES PATENTS 6/1952 Drain 312/198 X 11/1967Sandin 312/198 X 9/1901 Condict 254/104 X 1451 July 17, 1973 1,017,9622/1912 Fliedner 312/111 UX 2,616,664 11/1952 Warner 254/104 X 2,239,4334/1941 Urbain 254/104 2,790,691 4/1957 Goebel 312/111 2,953,109 2/1960Albert 29/271 X 3,203,744 8/1965 Batke et a1 312/1 11 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 257,296 5/1927 Great Britain 312/1 1 1 Primary ExaminerPaulR. Gilliam Attorney-George C. Atwell et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A pre-fabricated system comprising a plurality of modularcabinet components or sub-assemblies arrangeable in various selectablecombinations to furnish a living area, such as a kitchen, is providedwith means for rapidly installing the modular components in side-to-siderelationship and fastening them together to form a selfsupportingintegrated structure.

5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENIELJUUTW- 3.746.416

sum 2 ur 3 FIG 6 43 INVENTORS RUSSELL M. SASNETT 4' 5Y8 JAMES E. STINERv a v K QM,

THE\ R ATTORNEY PAIENIEU JUL 1 1192a SHEET 3 U? 3 INVENTORS ELL M.SASMETT 8Y8 JAMES E. sum; 3 6 cl THEN 'ATTORNEY MODULAR FURNITURE SYSTEMAND MEANS FOR MANIPULATING AND CONNECTING COMPONENTS THEREOF BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION In a copending related application filed concurrentlyherewith, Ser. No. 158,850, entitled Furniture System Having Means ForConnecting Sub-Assemblies Thereof, a system is disclosed for furnishinga living area such as a kitchenthat includes the provision ofself-supporting modular components or sub-assemblies that are adapted tobe joined in a variety of different combinations to form an integralfree-standing unit. The system disclosed is adapted to be compatible foruse in any of a number of areas of different sizes by selecting andarranging the available subassemblies of the system in a particularcombination. In particular, structure is disclosed for rapidly joiningadjacent subassemblies of the system at the installation site. Use ofthe disclosed system concept makes it possible for a two-maninstallation team to accomplish in an hours time what would havenormally required days or even weeks by more conventional installationmethods.Subassemblies of the system. are handled and transportedindividually to the living area to be furnished, where upon they arequickly positoned and connected in the planned disposition. The area isthereby rendered available for occupancy and use in a relatively shorttime.

SUMMARY OFTI-IE INVENTION The present invention utilizes the advantagesdisclosed in the aforementioned application and is an improvementthereon to the extent that certain special features, characteristics,and new apparatus 'are disclosed that enable rapid manipulation andproper positioning of the suba ssemblies such that they can be moreeasily fastened together toform the integrated structure.

More specifically, the invention comprehends,.in a furniture systemhaving at least two structurallyseparate free-standing sub-assembliesadapted to be arranged in contiguous side-by-side registrationto form anintegrated structure, means for aligning and positioning one of thesub-assemblies to an adjacent one, preferably including arecesse'xtending from the front side rearwardly along the bottom edge ofthe side wall of each of the sub-assemblies. When the sub-assemblies arein side-by-side abutment, a tunnel area adjacent the floor surfacethereunder is defined bythe registered recesses of the adjoiningsub-assemblies.

Positioning apparatus in the formof a special tool is provided for usewithin the tunnel area and is adapted to extend rearwardly towardtheback corner area of the sub-assemblies from the front side thereof. Thetool is adapted to be operated from the front side of the subassembliesand is used to applya raising force against the rear and frontcornerssequentially, of either or both of the sub'assemblies to thereby adjusttheir position relative to each other. Thereafter, stabilizing means areused to hold the sub-assemblies in the. attained position so thatjointure or connecting means provided on the abutting side surfaces ofthe subassemblies may be then used to hold the adjacent subassemblies infirm abutment.

A feature of the tool is that it may carry the stabilizing means, whichmay be a removably mounted member, such as a wedge. The wedge isutilized for supporting corners of one or more of the adjacent cabinetswhereby they are firmly stabilized against the floor surface as well asto each other. This is accomplished by providing the tool with means forforceably depositing the wedge in combination with control means foroperating the tool from a position at the front side of thesub-assemblies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS assemblies;

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical cross-section of the positioning apparatusor tool first shown .in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is the positioning apparatus shown in FIG. 3

but with parts thereof disposed in accordance with the positioningoperation thereof;

FIG. 5 is the positioning apparatus shown in FIG. 4 but showing partsthereof disposed in accordance with a second operation thereof; H

.FIG. 6 is an end view of the positioning apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is .a fragmentary perspective view showing portions of thepositioning apparatus in an exploded" arrangement;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a stabilizing wedge and a means formounting it on the positioning apparatus shown in FIGS. 4-6; and

FIG. 9 is aperspectiveview showing an alternative configuration for astabilizing wedge with the wedgein itsoperative position, and analternative meansfor removably mountingthe wedge to the positioningapparatus of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 a pair offree-standing cabinet modules or system sub-assemblies 10 and 11 areillustrated. The sub-assemblies are adapted to be positioned inside-toside registration and joined toeach other by a connect- .ingmeans 1 2.Positioning apparatusin the form of a special tool 13 isprovided for use by an installer to manipulate and align thesub-assemblies l0 andyll relative to each other prior to thejointureoperation. The subassemblies 10 and II are representative ofsubassemblies that join together to form an integral structure, such asthe assembly 14 shown in FIG. 2, that is formed by joiningsub-assemblies [0,11, and I5.

FIG. 2 also shows that each sub-assembly preferably includes upper andlower portions, such as base cabinet l.6-and upper cabinet 17 ofsub-assembly). The base cabinet 16 has a generally rectilinearconfiguration formed by vertically oriented side walls 18, front andback walls l9,and an upwardly facing horizontal top surface 20. 'At theback of the top surface 20, a ledge or elevatedshelf area 20a may beprovided. The front wall 19 of the base. cabinet may includedrawerfrontpanels 23 and/or hinged door panels 24, depending on the specificpurpose of the sub-assembly. The upper cabinet of the sub-assembly mayalso be provided with hinged outwardly opening door panels 24. Means areprovided for supporting the upper portion 17 in spaced relation to thebase portion 16 including a rigid back panel 25 which may be a downwardextension of the back wall of the upper portion 17. The supporting meansbetween upper and lower portions 16 and 17 may also include one or morerigid members or supportive spacer panels 26 disposed at an angle to theback panel 25.

As shown in FIG. 1, each sub-assembly 10 and 11 has lower end supportingstructure including front risers 27 disposed in a set-back relation tothe front side wall 19 thereabove to provide a front toe-kick area 28.The lower end supporting structure of each sub-assembly also includes,along the side thereof, a riser 29 set back from the side wall 18thereabove to provide a side recess 30 adjacent the supporting floorsurface. The recess 30 extends rearwardly from the front of thesubassembly and terminates against a panel projection adjacent the rearcorner of the sub-assembly. The panel projection may be an outwardlyextending corner of the base cabinet back panel 19.

A feature of the present invention is that subassemblies thereof, suchas sub-assemblies I and 11 shown in FIG. 1, after being manipulatedgenerally into position for joining, can be properly aligned with theirside surface 18 in registration and in corner-to-comer alignment, andthen firmly connected by the effort of one man. To add stability to thecompleted integral structure, means are provided for leveling andstabilizing the front and back corners of the sub-assemblies and 11separately. These operations may be accomplished from the front side ofthe sub-assemblies by an installer standing in a generally erectposition.

Installation of the sub-assemblies begins by placing the selectedsub-assemblies generally in the orientation in which they will bepermanently located in relation to each other. If the completed integralstructure is to be contiguous to a back wall surface of a room, than thesub-assemblies are oriented with their back sides abutting such backwall. If the completed integral structure is to establish an island inthe room whereby the unitary back surface of the structure will bevisible and serve as a room partition, then it is only necessary thatthe sub-assemblies be roughly aligned in a predetermined generalorientation in the desired location.

Placing the sub-assemblies l0 and l l in close side-toside relationshipto each other causes a front-to-back tunnel area 32 to be formed by theregistration of the recesses 30 with each other. The tunnel area 32 isof a size to accommodate the tool 13 which is moved across the floorsurface and into the tunnel area from the front side of thesub-assemblies, As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, the tool 13 is generallyelongated and adapted to have a control end and an opposite functioningend. The function end may also be described as the insertion end of thetool since it is the functioning end that is inserted into the tunnelarea 32. The tool 13 includes a rigid elongated lifting member 34disposed generally on the top side of the tool. The lifting member 34has the configuration in cross-section of an inverted U whereby it hasdownward extending spaced-apart sides 34a. The tool further includes arigid elongated member 35 disposed generally beneath the lifting member34. The

member 35 is preferably constructed with rigid spacedapart vertical sideportions 35a interconnected by horizontal upper and lower cross-plateportions 35b extending therebetween. The cross-place portions are weldedto the side portions 35a to form the member 35.

Intermediate the lifting member 34 and the member 35 is a bar 36. Thebar 36 has a configuration similar to that of the lifting member 34 butis relatively smaller whereby it is carried within the legs or sides ofthe lifting member 34 as shown in FIG. 6. Adjacent the insertion end ofthe tool 13 is a pin 37 that extends between the sides of the liftingmember 34 and through the bar 36 whereby the end of the bar 36 ispivotally mounted to the lifting member 34. The bar 36 is provided witha slot 38 through the body thereof through which extends a rigid arm 39.A roller 380 may be provided at an edge of the slot 38 to reducefriction of the arm 39 against the bar 36 during operation of the tool13. The arm 39 is pivotally mounted at one of its ends to the liftingmember 34 by means of a horizontally extending pin 40.

The entire tool 13 is adapted to be slidably moved over a floor surfaceby the provision, at the insertion end thereof, of means such as rollers41 and, adjacent the opposite control end thereof, of rollers 42. Therollers 42 are carried on an axle or pin 43 extending through theopposite sides 34a of the lifting member 34. The rollers 41 are carriedon an axle or pin 44 extending through an alongated slot 45 providedwith oppositely-disposed slots 46 through its vertical sides toaccommodate the arm 39 that extends therethrough. The lower end of thearm 39 is pivotally mounted to the axle pin 44. The end of the member35, adjacent the control end of the tool 13, has a horizontallyextending pin 47 therethrough to which the lower end of an operatinglever 48 is pivotally mounted. The operating lever 48 is also pivotallyjoined at an intermediate point therealong, to the lifting member 34, bya horizontally extending pin 49. The operating lever 48 extends upwardlythrough a slot 50 provided in the bar 36 and a slot 51 provided in thebar 36 and a slot 51 provided in the lifting member 34.

The bar 36 has an end or pedal portion 52 extending outwardly at thecontrol end of the tool whereby foot pressure may be applied downwardlythereagainst by the operator to pivot the bar 36 toward the positionshown in FIG. 4. As the end of the bar 36 at the pedal portion 52 ispushed downwardly, the portion of the bar 36 at the periphery of theslot 38 therethrough contacts the outer surface of the arm 39 and exertsa force downwardly thereagainst. This action causes the bar 39 to pivoton pin 40 whereby its roller supported lower end moves away from thetool's insertion end and to ward the control end as shown in FIG. 4. Atthe same time, the levering force of the bar 36 against the arm 39 istranslated through the bar 36 to the pin 37 whereby a generally upwardforce is exerted against the pin 37. This upward force moves the end ofthe lifting member 34 adjacent the insertion end, generally upwardly.The operator of the tool is thus able, by application of foot pressureto the portion 52 of the bar 36, to move the lifting member 34 from thedisposition shown in FIG. 3 toward that shown in FIG. 4.

The aforementioned operation is utilized by the operator of the tool formanipulating rear corners of adjacent sub-assemblies, such assub-assemblies l0 and 11 as shown in FIG. 1, in aligning thesub-assemblies in side-to-side relationship prior to completion of thesubassembly connecting procedure. In using the tool 13, the operator theoperator rolls it into position by pushing the functioning or insertionend into the tunnel area 32 until the tool stops against the panelprojections 31 at the rear of the tunnel area. In this position the topsurface of the lifting member 34 of the tool 13 under lies the ledges 33defining the top side of the tunnel area 32. Then, to compensate for anysloping or uneveness in the floor surface which may prevent tightregistration of the adjacent side surface of the subassemblies and 11,the installer may exert foot pressure downwardly on the portion 52whereby force is exerted upwardly by the lifting' member 34 against theledges 33 at a point adjacent the rear corner of one of i thesub-assemblies l0 and l 1, or both. Thus, if one rear corner of asub-assembly tends to be slightly lower relative to the rear corner ofthe adjacent sub-assembly, the lifting action applied againstthe ledges33 by the tool 13 will tend to raise the lowermost sut-assembly rearcorner into alignment with the other sub-assembly whereby means may thenbe used to stabilize the rear corners of the sub-assemblies in thealigned position.

It is considered desirable to provide means to assure initial alignmentof the adjacent sub-assemblies to be joined. The preferred means fordoing this isa tongue and groove mating arrangement betweenthe modules,such as shown in FIG. 1 by a horizontally extending groove 53 providednear the upper edge along the side of the sub-assembly 11 and a bead ortongue 54 similarly disposed onsub-assembly 10. The installer can besure, by mating the tongue 54 into the groove 53, that the connectingmeans 12 willbe properly aligned so that the wedging and connectingprocedures or steps may be accomplished without vertical shifting of onesub-assembly relative to its adjacent sub-assembly.

Means for stabilizing the sub-assemblies may comprise a wedge 55removably carried on the insertion end of the tool 13 shown in FIG. 1.The wedge is deposited beneath the back corners of the sub-assemblies bymeans of an operation performed by the installer handling the tool 13 atthe front side of the sub-assemblies. The stabilizing wedge 55, may beremovably mounted at the insertion end of the tool. The member 35 of thetool 13 is adapted to be extendable for the purpose of forciblydepositing the wedge in its stabilizing position. At the insertion endof the tool, the extendable member 35 may be provided with means forremovably holding the wedge 55 thereon. Such means may comprise a magnetfixedly attached to the extendable member 35. The wedge may beinexpensively formed from a block of hard wood to the generalconfiguration shown and have magnetically attractable portion such as astell staple affixed thereto whereby the magnet mounted on the tool'sextendable member 35 will tend to hold the wedge thereon until acomparatively greater force effects its removal therefrom. I

In accordance with the preferred form of the present invention, thewedge 55 has a width no greater than the width of the extendable member35 on which it is carried so that it will move freely through the tunnelarea 32. The lower edge of the panel projection 31 at the rear of thetunnel area 32 is provided with an inclined surface 57 to complement andaccommodate the incline of the upper surface of the wedge 55therebeneath. Once the operator has utilized the upward movement of thelifting member 34 to align the rear corners of the sub-assemblies 10*and 11 relative to each other, he can then draw the upper end of thecontrol member 48 of the tooll3 in a pivotal action toward himself whichwill cause the extendable member 35 to extend forwardly from the too] 13and jam the wedge 55 beneath the adjacent panel projections 31 wherebythe upper surface of the wedge is in firm contact with the inclinedsurfaces 57. Having thus stabilized the rear comers of thesub-assemblies l0 and 11, the installer may then pull the tool 13outwardly through the tunnel area. The weight of a sub-assembly corneron the wedge will cause the wedge to separate from the tool. Assumingnow, with the back corners of the adjacent sub-assemblies l0 and 11stabilized as heretofore described, that the front comers are invertical misalignment due to unevenness of the floor surface, the tool13 may then be utilized to align and stabilize the sub assemblies frontcorners.

In installing the sub-assemblies and connecting them to form a unitizedstructure, it is an objective to orient the sub-assemblies such thattheir respective top surfaces 20 are substantially level. Means, such asa carpenters spirit level 58 (FIG. 1), is preferably employed during theinstallation to assure that the integrated structurehas a continuous topsurface that is substantially level after sub-assembly adjustment,wedging, and connecting is completed.

Forthis purpose, a comparatively wider wedge 60, as shown in FIG. 8, isprovided. It will be noted that the risers 29 at the front comersthereof are cut away to provide an inclined surface 61 for engaging thewedge 60. With the tool 13 withdrawn from the tunnel area 32, theinstaller places the wedge 60 in position at the end of the extendablemember 35 of the tool 13 and then re-inserts the insertion end of thetoo] a short distance into the opening of the tunnel area 32 whereby theupwardly moving lifting member 34 will move against outer corners of thesub-assemblies l0 and 11.

FIG. 8 shows an alternative resilient means of mounting either of thewedges 55 or 60 to the end of the extendable member 35. In thisalternative arrangement the wedge is provided with oppositely-disposedside depressions of recesses 62. Oppositely-disposed openings or slots63 may be provided in the side portions of the member 35 wherebyinwardly directed arcuate portions 64 of spring members 65 protrudeinwardly therethrough. The wedge 60 is removably mounted in position inthe end of the extendable member 35 by inserting the wedges back endbetween the ends'of vertical sides 35a of member 35 so that the springarcuate portions 64 snap into respective depressions 62 and thereby holdthe wedge 60.

Adjustment and alignment of the front corners of the sub-assemblies l0and I] is accomplished by moving only a portion of the insertion end oftool 13 to the tunnel area whereby upward movement of the lifting member34 will raise the front corner of the lowermost of the twosub-assemblies into proper alignment with the front comer of the other.The wedge insertion operation can then be performed by the installerpulling back onthe operating lever to forcibly insert the wedge 60 intoposition beneath the oppositely-disposed inclined surfaces 61 of therisers 29. Witlh both back and front corners of the adjacent cabinetsstabilized relative to each other as heretofore described, the finalmodule connecting operation can be performed by the installer, asdescribed later herein.

Having heretofore described the purpose and opera tion of the tool 13,details of its preferred structure can now be considered. As shown inFIG. 3, the upper surface of the lifting member 34 of the tool 13 isgenerally parallel to the floor surface when the tool 13 is slid into Iits operative position within the tunnel area 32 (FIG. 2). the tool 13placed properly in the tunnel area, pressure downwardly on the pedalportion 52 of the bar 36 causes the bar 36 to pivot to the positionshown in FIG. 4. By this action the portion of the bar 36 at theperiphery of the slot 38 contacts the outer surface of the arm 39 andexerts a force downwardly thereagainst. This downward force causes thearm 39 to move from the disposition shown in FIG. 3 to that shown inFIG. 4 whereby the lower end thereof slides rearwardly through the slot45 of the extenable member 35. This same action causes an upward forceto be exerted aginst pivot pin 37 whereby the end of the lifting member34 toward the insertion end moves generally upwardly to provide alifting force against sub-assembly structure thereabove. Then, while theinstaller maintains foot pressure against the portion 52 of the bar 36and retains the bar in the disposition shown in FIG. 4, manual force maybe exerted against the upper end of the operating lever 48. This causesthe lever to pivot on the pin 49 and thus push the extendable member 35in a direction away from the installer such that the insertion member 35moves outwardly from the position shown in FIG. 4 to that shown in FIG.5. By this action the wedge is forced into position to stabilize therear corners of the sub-assemblies l and l l. Returning the operatinglever 48 to its erect position and removing the foot from the pedalportion 52 of the bar 36 restores the tool to the disposition shown 3whereby FIG. 3whereby it can be withdrawn from the tunnel area 32between the lower ends of the sub-assemblies and 11.

By reference to FIG. 3 it will be seen that the lifting member 34,through the bar 39, bears against the floor surface beneath the tool 13during its operation. The bar 36 provides a manually operable controlmeans that is operatively linked to the lifting member 34 whereby it canbe actuated to move generally upwardly as desired from a position at oneend of the tool. The extendable member 35, which is adapted to beselctively extended from the end of the tool opposite the tool s controlend of the tool. Thus, one installer is able to perform severalfunctions from the same position at the front side of the sub-assembliesto be joined, without requiring the assistance of others in manipulatingthe sub-assemblies.

Once the adjacent sub-assemblies have been manipulated into position andstabilized as heretofore described, the connection of one to the othercan be completed. As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting means preferablyincludes the provision of a groove 67 at each side of the sub-assembly.The groove 67 can extend part or all of the distance from the front toback of the sub-assembly. A rigid bar or channel member 68 having a flatbody portion 68a and oppositely-disposed side portion 68b, extendinggenerally perpendicular to the body portion 68a, is pushed into theregistered grooves 67 of the adjacent sub-assemblies. The bar 68functions cooperatively with a plurality of spaced-apart erect studs 69in each groove 67 of the sub-assemblies to pull the sub-assembliesfirmly together and hold them in that position. Each stud 69 projectsacross the area of the groove 67 with clearance at its distal end topermit the body portion of the bar 68 to slide thereover. Each stud 69is spaced outwardly from the inner surface or back wall of the groove 67to permit a leg 68b of the bar 68 to slide along the studs inward side.The studs 69 on each sub-assembly are each located to align with a studof the adjacent sub-assembly whereby force against the studs 69 by thebar 68 driven into the registered grooves 67 will be firmly applied in adirection transverse to the side walls of the joined subassemblies. Thebar 68 is of a length such that when it is pushed or driven into thegroove 67 to join adjacent sub-assemblies together, it will be containedwithin the groove with its outer end disposed inwardly adjacent thefront wall of the joined sub-assemblies.

Once a jointure between adjacent sub-assemblies has been made by meansof the connection means 12, the presence of any part of the connectingmeans is hard to discern from the front side of the structure,particularly since it is preferably located near the top side of thebase cabinet whereby a pre-cut unitary countertop placed thereacrosswill tend to slightly overhang the area. A drawer or door panel on thefront side of each sub-assembly, depending on the particularcharacteristics of the sub-assembly, will serve to fully conceal thearea of the connecting means 12. Since only the outer end of the channelmember .68 is normally visible once the connecting procedure iscompleted, installation of a drawer, or a hinged door that covers astorage area within the sub-assembly will be sufficient to conceal theconnecting means completely from view. The peripheral contiguous edgesof drawers or doors on adjacent sub-assemblies will meet at the verticalline of connection between the sub-assemblies and thereby completelyoverlay the area of the connecting means.

As shown in FIG. 2, provision may be made for concealing the tunnel area32 that accommodates the tool 13. Concealment means for this purpose maycomprise a substantially thin appearance panel 70 that has a finishedouter surface to blend with the general toe-kick area. The appearancepanel 70 may be firmly attached in place by screws or other fasteningmeans capable of holding it permanently in the desired position. i

The invention and features thereof heretofore de scribed by reference topresently preferred embodiments is not meant to be limited to theparticular details of construction illustrated and described. It iscontemplated that various modifications or applications will occur tothose skilled in the art having having had benefit of this disclosure.It is therefore intended that the appended claims shall cover all suchmodifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit andscope of the invention.

We claim:

1. In a modular furniture system:

a. a pair of free-standing furniture modules having generallyvertically-disposed side surfaces,

b. the modules having jointure means therewith for joining them inside-to-side abutment to form a unitized furniture structure,

c. a tunnel area adjacent the floor surface beneath the modules anddisposed beneath abutting side surfaces of the modules when the modulesare in side-to-side abutment, and

d. the tummel area being open on the front side of the modules andextending rearwardly in the plane of the line of abutment of the modulesto accommo- 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein each of the modules isprovided with a front side recessed toe kick area, and the tunnel openson the front side of the modules within the recessed toe kick area.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the height of the tunnel area doesnot exceed the height of the toe kick area.

1. In a modular furniture system: a. a pair of free-standing furniture modules having generally vertically-disposed side surfaces, b. the modules having jointure means therewith for joining them in side-to-side abutment to form a unitized furniture structure, c. a tunnel area adjacent the floor surface beneath the modules and disposed beneath abutting side surfaces of the modules when the modules are in side-to-side abutment, and d. the tummel area being open on the front side of the modules and extending rearwardly in the plane of the line of abutment of the modules to accommodate means inserted therein for adjusting the position of one or both of the modules.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the portions of each of the modules defining the tunnel area has a portion thereon adapted to accomodate a wedge for stabilizing the module relative to the floor surface.
 3. The invention of claim 1 further comprising means concealing the opening of the tunnel area.
 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein each of the modules is provided with a front side recessed toe kick area, and the tunnel opens on the front side of the modules within the recessed toe kick area.
 5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the height of the tunnel area does not exceed the height of the toe kick area. 